Tears of Tess (6 page)

He
pushed his big fingers into my own tangled strands. “I think you look sexy no
matter what.” Running fingers down my cheek, he kept going, all the way to my
hand.

Threading
his fingers with mine, he leaned in, kissing me gently. “Hopefully, this place
has cold drinks and ice.”

My
skin was on fire and the thought of ice made my mouth water, but I shook my
head. “Not allowed ice, remember? Only bottled water. Our Aussie bellies can’t
handle the local H
2
O.”

He
sighed. “Good point. Alright, I’ll just have a beer.”

“If
you think you’re drinking and driving in this mess they call traffic, you have
another thought coming, mister.” I laughed as we entered the gloom of the
little café—if it could be called that—more like a falling down cave. The walls
were peeling and tacky posters hung sticky-taped in random places, hiding
pockmarking in the plaster. I frowned… they looked just like—
Hell, are they
bullet holes?

Trepidation
crawled like icy spiders in my blood. I squeezed Brax’s hand as intuition sat
up, ringing a loud warning gong. I was a firm believer in listening to my gut—it
saved me more than once. “Brax?”

A
woman with tobacco stained teeth grinned a holey smile as she appeared. “Well,
well, nice to see some customers on such a hot day.” Her accented voice rasped
across my skin like sandpaper. “What can I get you?”

My
heart wouldn’t stay still. I wanted to say something. I wanted to leave. But
Brax grinned. “Two Cokes, please.”

The
woman peered at me, her gaze dark as midnight. “No food?”

I
stiffened, hating how jittery I was, how much I wanted to run. Before Brax
could decide he was hungry, as well as thirsty, I said, “Just drinks. And
quickly, we’re supposed to be somewhere, we’re running late.” My snappy tone
caused Brax to quirk an eyebrow.

The
lady grimaced, shuffling away.

Brax
tugged me to a table, and we sat directly under a ceiling fan stirring the hot,
stagnant air. Sweat grew tacky on my skin, cooling to a chill. I grabbed a
napkin to wipe my face.

“What’s
gotten into you?” Brax asked, wiping the back of his neck with his hand.

I
looked behind, trying to figure out why my spidey senses wigged out of control,
but nothing seemed wrong. It was just a shabby eatery. No more. Maybe I was
being stupid….

“Nothing.
Sorry. I really want to go back to the hotel for a swim, that’s all.” I flashed
a smile.

He
grinned, his shiny face pink from the drive. “We’ll go as soon as we’re done.” Laughing,
he added, “We must look like such gringos. No wonder the waitress gave us a
weird look.”

My
gut clenched. Somehow, I knew that wasn’t the reason. She’d looked at me
almost…hungrily.

A
scuffle sounded behind; I twisted in the chair to look. Toward the back of the
restaurant, near the cash register, a man appeared. His voice was low, angry,
as he shook the waitress, fingers digging into her upper arm.

My
stomach flipped, kicking out trepidation and blowing it into full-fledged
fright. I couldn’t stay.

“Brax,
I’m not comfortable. Can we can get the Cokes to go?”

He
slouched in the rickety chair. “I don’t think I can drink and navigate, hun.
Just give me ten minutes, okay? Then we’ll go.” He looked sun-whipped and
parched.

I
nodded sharply, biting my tongue. I didn’t want to seem like a drama queen, but
damn, my flesh rippled with panic. I wanted to be gone. Far, far away, back to
the safety of the resort.

My
legs jiggled under the table, anxiety pinging in my limbs.

Another
man entered the café, wearing a black leather jacket and jeans. His greasy skin
shone with sweat, and he had a chunk missing from the top of his ear. Long,
stringy hair hung over a gaunt face. His eyes fell on mine; I froze.

It
was like looking into a predators gaze: empty, hungry, black, and evil. It
sucked my soul, amping my fear to a full forest fire.

“Brax—”

“Here
you go.” The gap-tooth waitress deposited dewy, icy cans of Coke in front of us
along with pink straws. I broke eye contact with Mr. Leather Jacket, swallowing
hard.
Keep it together. Brax is here. Brax will protect you. 

Brax
cracked a can open and swigged, groaning. “Crap, I was thirsty.” He hadn’t
noticed my fear, focused entirely on rehydrating.

On
autopilot, I opened mine and sipped. The bubbles added to the froth of terror
in my stomach. Why was I reacting like this?
Calm down, Tess
. It was a
stupid, white girl reaction to being in a dive of a place that was perfectly
normal in this over-populated city.

Brax
guzzled his drink and stood. “I just gotta take a leak. I’ll be right back.”

My
fear jettisoned into a geyser of panic. “No! I mean, do you have to go here? We
can find a McDonald’s or some local garage.” I twisted my fingers, hidden in my
lap. “I doubt the facilities will be clean.”

He
laughed. “This isn’t convenience central. I don’t know if we’ll be able to find
anywhere else, and it will be another hour before we’re back at the hotel. I’ll
just be a tick.”

I
clutched my Coke until my fingers turned white, trying to stem panic, and stop
being so clingy. I nodded.

Brax
blew me a kiss, striding toward the back of the café. His green t-shirt was
dark with sweat, showing every curve of muscle. Muscle that could protect me,
muscle that was walking away. With every step he took, my heart died a little more.
I had no explanation for my behaviour, but some pessimistic part throbbed with
grief.

Turn
around. Come back.

Brax
didn’t do either as he disappeared through a door marked
Baño.
 

My
blood rocketed with adrenaline and my eyes darted around the café, looking for
danger. Instincts told me I was in peril. I just didn’t know from what.

No
one was around. Even the guy in his leather jacket disappeared.

See,
Tess. Nothing to be afraid of
.

Something
fluffy twined around my legs, making me jump so high I knocked my can of Coke
over. Shoving my chair back, I looked beneath the table.

A
mangy orange cat blinked, meowing. Holy shit, I had to calm down. My heart
would combust at the rate it hammered. Every part of me buzzed on high alert.

“Stop
staring, kitty.” I kept my legs away from the feline and the sticky puddle of
Coke.

A
minute passed agonisingly slowly; my eyes refused to look anywhere but at the
door where Brax disappeared. How long did it take for him to do his business?
Surely,
he should be done by now.

I
fiddled with my bracelet. The silver hearts indented fingers as I pressed hard,
using them as rosary beads, summoning my boyfriend to return. My mouth grew dry
and chalky, palms slick with nerves.

Come
on, Brax.
Should I go and wait by the bike?
Anything would be better than sitting there terrified. Yes, waiting by the bike
was a good idea—in public, in the sunshine.

I
stood and turned to leave. My heart flopped into my toes.

Three
men guarded the exit. Arms crossed, lips stretched against dirty, rotten teeth.
Leather Jacket Man stood in the middle. Our eyes locked and the same evil
energy assaulted me, casting oozing black shadows. Unable to look away, my very
existence stuttered under the weight of blackness. My instincts had been right.

I
was in deep shit.

“Brax!”
I screeched, taking off for the door. I didn’t care if I over-reacted or if
they were there for a casual drink. My instincts screamed, hollered, banged on
my ribs to react.

I
needed to run.

Run!

Flip-flops
slapped against linoleum as I bolted.

The
men scrambled into action, knocking over a table in the rush to chase me.
No.
No. Please, no.

I
hyperventilated as I disappeared through the door, and screamed as a large hand
fisted my hair yanking backward into a stinking hot torso.

“Brax!”
I twisted and hissed, holding onto my scalp. Ignoring the burn of torn hair, I
turned into something rabid. I bit the man’s arm banded across my chest. 

He
swore in Spanish, dropping me. I fell to my knees, but was running a second
later. Nothing mattered but getting to Brax.

“Brax!”
I shot to the men’s room, only to careen into the solid body of a fourth man.
Blood covered his knuckles as he slapped a hand over my mouth, slamming me
against the wall. The stench of his palm made me dry heave; I thrashed in his
grip.

He
grunted, keeping me pinned.

My
life shrivelled in hopelessness as I looked over his shoulder. Brax sprawled on
the dirty bathroom floor, face covered in blood. An arm lay awkwardly and eyes closed.
“No!”

Rage,
passion, and horror exploded, and I chomped down on the man’s palm, tasting rust
from breaking flesh.

“Puta!”
he cursed as I wriggled, trying to jerk my knee between his legs.

“Brax!
Wake up!” I kicked free, only to be captured by Leather Jacket. He hissed
something in my ear I didn’t understand. His awful fingers squeezed a breast,
and dragged me away from Brax.

“No!
Let me
go
!” I screamed, too angry and focused on survival to cry.
“Fucking bastard, leave me the
fuck
alone!”

Another
rancid hand clamped over my mouth and nose, cutting off oxygen. Lungs bucked,
kicking in my chest.

I
slammed my hip back, connecting with the soft meat between my captor’s legs.
Leather Jacket howled and shoved me away, hunched over his injured cock.

Run,
Tess. Run.

I
whimpered, caught in indecision. I wanted to check on Brax but I had to get
away. Find help then rescue him. But no matter how hard I fought, there were
always more men. It was like fighting quick sand—a battle I couldn’t win.

“Brax!
God’s sake I need y—”

Leather
Jacket took two steps and sucker-punched me in the jaw.

Fireworks
exploded behind my eyes, and I fell. Falling, falling, heavy and useless. The
floor welcomed with a teeth-rattling embrace. Colours danced in front of my eyes
as sickness tried to claim me. 

Someone
pressed into my lower back, wrenching arms behind me, and wrapping something
coarse and tight around my wrists.

He
jerked me upright. The world swam with vertigo, leaving me upside down, back to
front.

Leather
Jacket’s evil eyes glinted with pleasure as he smothered me with a black hood.

*Dove*

M
y
sense of smell returned first.

Touch,
taste, sound, sight, all remained dormant. But smell. How could I ignore the
reek
?

Stale
sweat and the ammonia of piss. Musk, body odour, and garbage.

My
stomach flopped, turning me into a pretzel of horror.

Brax!

Oh,
God, Brax. Was he okay? Was he dead? All that blood. My lungs went on strike.
Brax was back there—wherever there was, alone and in pain. Would I ever see him
again? Thoughts rammed like dodgems in my skull. My head pounded with a nasty
headache.

Fear,
rank and cloying, crawled up my throat. That bastard had been so eager to hit
me, as if he lived to be violent. I had no hope against men like that. I knew
it was weak, but I wished they’d killed me rather than take me. Who knew what
brutality existed in my future.

Another
whiff of ammonia; I gagged behind my hood, hoping I didn’t throw up and drown
in vomit. I panted, forcing the urge away. 

Just
remain calm.
I’d relied on myself all my life.
If I got into trouble, my parents were too busy with my brother to offer a
shoulder to cry on. I turned to myself in happiness and in terror. I would get
out of this. No one was going to take my freedom.